45. Dr Kailash Chand

Dr Chand may no longer actively practise, but he was never destined for a quiet retirement. Instead, he uses his time to support the profession politically, professionally and personally.

He is a prolific media commentator on the NHS, through the mainstream press – most notably the Guardian and the Mirror – and, of course, Pulse.

Closer to home, he promotes faith and racial equality, and is a trustee of a charity that focuses on Greater Manchester’s endemic homelessness alongside Mayor Andy Burnham.

On a national level, his reputation led to NHS England CEO Simon Stevens recently inviting him for a one-to-one meeting to summarise the profession’s reaction to the NHS long term plan.

In April, the RCGP granted him an honorary fellowship, and he’s been re-elected as both council member at the BMA, where he’s also honorary vice president, and chair of Tameside and Glossop Healthwatch, making him one of the longest-serving chairs of any Healthwatch board

Dr Chand this year lost his wife of 44 years, Dr Anisha Malhotra, also a GP, and how he’s carried himself in light of this loss would have made her very proud.

Why influential: Even in retirement, he finds new ways to combine reality and hopefulness to support current GPs

What others say: ‘Simply the best role model in the world – committed, articulate, kind, a wonderful GP’

Random fact: Admitted to medical school on sports quota, as he was a ‘university blue’ in cricket